Classic Bike Guide

For this month’s Machines That Matter, Rachael Clegg delves into the history of the National Motorcycle Museum’s sensational Grindlay Peerless 498cc record-breaking machine. IT’S hard to believe that Shakleton Road, Coventry, was once home to one of the most formidable motorcycle marques of the prewar era. Here, in the 1920s, among row upon row of…

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Over 100,000 examples of the Norton 16H were supplied to the war effort. Simple, easy to maintain and reliable, the side-valve was essential. And it made a reasonable coffee table. Read more News and Features in the July 2019 issue of CBG –on sale now!

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Stripping our ES2 bottom end reveals problems not easy to answer Among the boxes of bits our 1956 Norton ES2 came in the form of, the bottom end basics seemed in one piece. I got knowledgeable friends, Neville and Hutch, to feel the con rod for big end play and mains bearing noises and they…

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In our final chapter of the G3L rebuild, we look at how to treat a freshly rebuilt engine without the risk of having to fix it all again! Words, hassle and impatience by Matt Wisdom and patience by Hutch Tea and wheel-building skills by Shelley Matchbox genie After much more time, effort and money than…

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Brave are those who take on the projects others shy away from! Words by Rob Davies photography by Rob and Pete Who can deny the usefulness of a fitting workshop manual in the restoration of a classic motorcycle? And yet – in the early days of the Japanese invasion, the manuals were somewhere between useless…

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By Hutch We talk about our old nails in terms of aesthetics and ergonomics, power and torque, character and looking like it’s doing 100mph standing still; but when it comes down to fixing and keeping the things running it’s more tolerances, limits and fits, bearings, nuts and bolts. The mechanics of a bolted joint are…

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Some things look like they were always meant to be. Shane Venn shows us around his remarkable special; a modified wideline Featherbed frame housing a Harley Sportster motor, built by Dave Degens. Words and photography By Adam Bolton Café racers, rock ’n’ roll and the resulting counter culture are all steeped in a long and…

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